Assignment 2

Provide background to the problem at hand. What are the problems and challenges facing Hadlyville cemetery?

The issues faced at Hadlyville cemetery, are that this specific cemetery is so old that many of the headstones are weathered, cannot be read, or are missing entirely.  There are also no maps of the plot and the records are hard to follow.  This makes it extremely difficult to know which plots are occupied and which ones are still open.

Why is building a GIS of this project better than a simple map and/or spreadsheet?

By creating a GIS it will put all of this data into one specific place.  All of this data will have a spatial location and imagery to go along with it.  It will include dates of birth and death, name, and an image of that specific headstone.  This can really be helpful for this cemetery to have all of this data updated and in one place.

What equipment are you going to use to gather the data needed to construct the GIS; ie what is the overall approach?

A survey grade GPS unit was used to take specific points for the headstones.  Then images were taken of each of the headstones.  This allows for an image to be tied to the GPS points that were collected.  Also a drone was used to collect an areal image of the plot.  Using this we cna have a map to tie everything together.

What are the overall objectives of the method being employed to gather the data.

The data was collected in a very accurate way.  This will give an image and the data will be accurate down to less than a meter.  This will provide an image for Hadlyville cemetery that is extremely accurate and very helpful for them in determining where certain headstones are located.

What are the overall objectives of the method being employed to gather the data.

The class used survey grade GPS (which was a little overkill) and we used our own data collection methods.  The class walked around the cemetery and made a grid like pattern using columns and rows and numbering each.  This way we could compare and contrast the data that we collected with others from the class.  The survey grade GPS was a very useful tool, but since it is so accurate it was almost too much.  It took too long to get a reading at every headstone in the cemetery.  For smaller grade maps, this could be a very useful tool.

What is the accuracy of the equipment you are intending to use? (Be sure to cover each piece of equipment)

The survey grade GPS that we used was down to near centimeter accuracy.  The UAV that was used was also very accurate, but this was down to within one meter accuracy.  Also our own senses were used in creating descriptions of each stone.

How was data recorded? List the different methods and state why a pure digital approach is not always best. What media types are being used for data collection? Formats?

The most time effective way to gather the data was to walk around and create a detailed description for each stone.  This was helpful to be able to compare and contrast with other students to see if they noticed something about a headstone that someone else missed.  The digital tools we used were too time consuming, although they are very accurate it took too much time at each headstone to gather all of the data that we needed.

How will you transfer the data you gather into a GIS

The data will be transferred into an attribute table and using this data a detailed map will be created.

What equipment failures occurred if any? What was done to remedy the situation?

The only issues with equipment were when a point was to be gathered underneath a tree.  This gave these points a little less accuracy and took a little more time to gather.  This problem only occurred at 2-3 headstones.

What might have been done to facilitate data collection in terms of equipment and refining the method?

If certain groups had been given certain chores to do in assisting in the data collection process, things would have gone much smoother and quicker.  This can be an idea in the future.

How did the methods transfer to the overall objectives of the project?

The personal data collection went much smoother, but if there would have been better organization, things could have gone even faster.  The data collected will be exactly what we need to show the final map that is wanted.

How did the mixed formats of data collection relate to the accuracy and expediency of the survey?

If the class would have discussed how they wanted to go about this more as a group before we got started, it could have been much more accurate information.  One of the problems faced was that it took too long for multiple groups to start working together on data collection methods.  The accuracy was not the same or nearly as accurate as the survey grade GPS would have been.

How did the mixed formats of data collection relate to the accuracy and expediency of the survey?

The survey was a success.  All of the information needed to create the map was collected and should be easy to use to create the final map.

Assignment 1 Cemetery Mapping

A cemetery can be a very difficult place to map.  Especially because some headstones have been broken, weathered, and some are even missing.  These are just a few of the challenges faced when given the duty of mapping in a cemetery.  With these missing pieces it can make the task of mapping even more difficult.  This is because there is nothing to base your map on.  There is no knowledge of if what you created is indeed accurate or not.  Knowing this, a map will be created marking areas that currently have graves and a little information about the person buried there.  For example, their name, birth and death dates, gender, type of headstone, and the condition or presence of a headstone.

Using GIS a map can be made to accurately depict the areas that are suitable for burials.  This information will be very useful for the Hadleyville cemetery.  If a attribute table is made, we could take an aerial image to create an interactive map giving the information about the person buried in each site.  Some of the things to include in the attribute table would be name, gender, age, type of headstone, and the condition of the headstone.  Using all of this information we can generate a map that shows if you were to click on a certain area in the aerial view, it would show all of this as an interactive map.  A UAV will be used to very precisely take an overhead image to use as a back drop.  All of the tools used will be extremely precise.  This could be very helpful to keep track of who is buried in a certain cemetery and possibly how long they have been there.  Since some of the areas do not have headstones ground penetrating radar could be used to see if someone has indeed been buried in this location.  This could prevent selling a part of land that is already being used.  All of this technology would be useful in getting a complete map of a cemetery.  This method will be very time consuming and will use many resources.  This may not be the most efficient way to map this area, but it will be very accurate.  Using these tools, a very precise and intricate map would result.